Searching for a new direction in life, disfigured war veteran/mob assassin Richard Harrow (Jack Huston) returns to Atlantic City in “The North Star,” Episode 42 of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.”

Richard’s last exploit in New Jersey was a bloody one as he saved young Tommy Darmody by gunning down a slew of thugs occupying the brothel of Tommy’s grandmother Gillian (Gretchen Mol).

After leaving Tommy in the care of Philippine-American War vet Paul Sagorsky (Mark Borkowski) and his daughter Julia (Wrenn Schmidt), Richard joined twin sister Emma (Katherine Waterston) at their family farm in Wisconsin.

A chance encounter with Paul draws Richard back to Tommy and possible love interest Julia.

“I couldn’t face any of you,” Richard says to Paul, explaining his flight.

In the wake of Eddie’s demise, Nucky’s brother Eli (Shea Whigham) tries to retrieve cash from a safe deposit box. The bank manager is uncooperative, however, requiring Eddie’s death certificate and other official documents.

Nucky, meanwhile, needs one more partner to acquire 14,000 acres of land for offloading illegal rum shipments. That investor turns out to be Vincenzo Petrucelli (Vincenzo Amato), a gangster with Cuban connections and familial ties to New York mob boss Joe Masseria (Ivo Nandi).

Charles “Lucky” Luciano (Vincent Piazza) also planned to invest, but he’s gone behind Joe’s back and is certain Petrucelli will spread the news.

“You do what you want, but I’m in,” responds Meyer, viewing the Florida real estate scheme as a gold mine.

Nucky was initially attracted to Tampa for the money but now he’s drawn to Sally Wheet (Patricia Arquette), a wild-spirited speakeasy owner. Sally’s liquor tastes like battery acid and she revels at watching alligators fight to the death.

When Nucky expresses doubts about his criminal ambitions — and frets about the reason for Eddie’s mysterious suicide — drunken Sally calls him a whiner and slugs him in the face. Punches soon turn into frantic kisses then up-against-the-wall sex.

Speaking of sex, Atlantic City nightclub operator Chalky White (Michael Kenneth Williams) is infatuated with lovely chanteuse Daughter Maitland (Margot Bingham), even as he squabbles with her for revamping a song list.